West Plains Motel

The room was filthy, with cigarette smoke stains on the walls and furniture, mold, signs of bed bugs, and a really nasty bottom edge on the shower curtain. We paid $60 for what felt like a $20 room. The heater had no knobs, there was about an inch of space under the door connecting to the next room, and there was no TV control. We could hear every cough and conversation next door. Don't pay to stay here. You'd be better off in a tent.

I used to stay here many times over the past 20 years. It was old, but clean. Over the last few years, something has changed: now it's run down and in disrepair, and even in the non-smoking room I requested, there was a stale cigarette and damp smell. I won't be back. For $10 more, I can stay down the road at the Super 8.

Bring flip-flops, and stay far away. After my meeting I got back around 11, and there were three police cars and 20 people outside. This wasn't the mom-and-pop place I remembered from stays six and seven years ago, which was about what you'd expect for $60 a night. I'd made an online reservation, but they said they had no record of it, even after I showed the email confirmation. During my 15-minute check-in, several teens and people in their twenties came and went with a big dog. From the way the front desk guy spoke to them, I thought they might live there. In front of the rooms there were chairs, including a big lounge chair, and several guys who looked like residents were drinking and smoking. The parking lot was empty, but they told me there was no vacancy. The owner then 'did me a favor' by giving me a room for $10 less than the email quote. It was beyond filthy, like it hadn't been cleaned in months. I can't explain why I didn't leave right then. A dollar's worth of bleach and a little effort could have helped. I didn't want to take off my socks or clothes to sleep. The sheets looked clean, but the comforter didn't. The walls were dirty, there was mold and mildew all over the shower and tiles, and the tub wouldn't drain, so the flip-flops didn't help. The mirror was hung for a makeup desk with no chair, so I had to sit or squat to use it. Toilet paper was on the back of the toilet, there was no trash can, a sponge hung from the shower head, and there was half-used soap in the dish. There was a cigarette burn on the seat, and the room smelled like an ashtray. I hope I can post photos at some point. If I could give it zero stars, I would.

The rooms were very cheap, and there was a lot of work going on at the motel while we were there. It looked like they were making great renovations. Ed was wonderful to my husband and me after our boat accident. He went out of his way to be caring and help us.